A simple cascade, Bolinao Falls is in an oasis, providing cooling waters and respite from the heat and hotness of the surroundings.

It was 1988, the height of my obsession with collecting butterflies that started as a Biology project and I was aboard a bus bound for Barili, one of my first solo travels around Cebu. At just 2nd year high school, I was determine to visit Mantayupan Falls, never mind if I haven’t been there before. My feet were itchy and, armed with a map committed to memory, I was off, counting towns and then alighted at a place I thought Barili.

During a hot afternoon while in Bato, Catanduanes documenting an old church, a trip to Maribina Falls provides a welcome respite, the perfect way to cool off and cap a brief stay in this province.

It wasn’t in the plan but my friend, Raegan, world authority on Philippine Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) invited me for a trip to the hinterlands of Marilog District to see Epol Waterfalls and check out the beetles found in this area.

Kawasan Falls in Matutinao, Badian, Cebu, despite being one of the top natural attractions of the island province and me being a Cebuano, I haven’t really gone up to see this cascade in all of my 30+ years. Not until last week when I went down south and made a short detour.

A stunning beauty. That is what I can say of Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, located in the interior of the vast Picop concession in the province of Surigao del Sur. Dubbed the Little Niagara of the Philippines (why do we always have this penchant in naming places, I don’t know) because it is considered to be the widest waterfall in the country at 95 meters in width.

Aliwagwag Falls in Cateel, Davao Oriental is a wonder. A first time viewer is easily struck dumbfounded, speechless and awed by the spectacular sight. Just imagine, a series of 84 falls forming almost a hundred steps cascading from the forest to the edge of where it enters Cateel River and empties to the coast. The total height of the falls is said to be 1110 ft with varying drops of between 6 to 100 feet and is a declared protected area by the national government.